You Asked For It.....
Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2018 10:51 am
I've had a few droll NFBC'ers ask me to talk about Joey Votto lately.
Never one to turn down a challenge....
If you've read my stuff before, you'll know I'm not a big believer in sabrmetricians trying to tell fantasy players what to do.
For years, these folks have been perpetrating things that just are not true to fantasy players.
The base on balls, the Champion of sabrmetricians is NOT that important to OUR game.
A player does NOT own a skill. He merely rents it.
They've tried to make these things so for many years.
A walk is not always a good thing. Ask Mike Trout owners if they want to see a base on balls to their hitter with runners on second and third. Or even just a runner on second.
They'd say "No Way!"
Yet, these intentioned walks are considered all good by sabrs.
The best thing I can say to Trout owners is that a walk is better than making an out.
That's it.
It is no more than that.
The 'non out' does not over weight the 'What Could Have Been' to his owners.
Sabrmetricians have been under the assumption that the base on balls drove Joey Votto's game.
In part, they may be right.
For OUR game, however, it was never about the base on balls.
It was about the power.
Without that power, well, Votto is what he is today. A below average player for our game.
Votto has displayed power and average. Two of the three main ingredients for our recipe to success. Speed being the only slacker.
This year, Votto's power has been sapped.
He is now of little use to his owners.
Votto has scored 58 runs.
That ties him with teammate Billy Hamilton.
Sabrs and fans shit on Hamilton.
He is a one tool player. A judy.
Hamilton has 31 less hits and an incredible 54 less walks than Votto. Hamilton hits at the bottom of the order.
The difference being that it takes fewer hits to score Hamilton and his speed.
Without the home runs, Votto is essentially, a base clogger.
Even with Eugenio Suarez having a career RBI year, Votto is not scoring much.
Without the home runs, Votto becomes 'Less than Joey Votto.
A walker without the crutch of his home runs.
A sabr dream, an owner's nightmare.
By the way, Votto is third in baseball in OBP this year.
His owners just threw up in their mouth.
In 2010, Votto had his best year.
.324/106/37/113/16
Wow
He fell in love with the base on balls shortly after that year.
His walks went from 91 to at least 108 in each succeeding full year. 143 base on balls in 2015.
With those base on balls, his roto numbers went down.
He approached and even tied some of his roto categories from 2010, but only managed to exceed his batting average, no other categories.
I look at Votto and think what could have been.
I don't do that with any other player without a lot of injuries.
Votto made the conscious decision to change his approach.
Some champion the decision. Some don't.
I believe without that decision, he could have had an Albert Pujols type career.
His homers numbering in the 40's each year, not the 20's and 30's.
His RBI and Runs, easily at 100 and more.
I feel as if he cheated us from being better as a player.
And worse, he cheated himself.
Votto is an elegant hitter.
Truly, a real good hitter.
He'll probably get into the Hall of Fame, since sabrs are the rage in baseball.
He has less Runs, RBI, and only 10 more homers than Vada Pinson.
But, that won't matter.
He did what the sabrs cherish.
He walked. A lot.
This year though, even sabrs have to recognize that a walk is indeed, not as good as a hit.
Especially a home run.
Joey Votto has illustrated that, as well as one can, this year.
Never one to turn down a challenge....
If you've read my stuff before, you'll know I'm not a big believer in sabrmetricians trying to tell fantasy players what to do.
For years, these folks have been perpetrating things that just are not true to fantasy players.
The base on balls, the Champion of sabrmetricians is NOT that important to OUR game.
A player does NOT own a skill. He merely rents it.
They've tried to make these things so for many years.
A walk is not always a good thing. Ask Mike Trout owners if they want to see a base on balls to their hitter with runners on second and third. Or even just a runner on second.
They'd say "No Way!"
Yet, these intentioned walks are considered all good by sabrs.
The best thing I can say to Trout owners is that a walk is better than making an out.
That's it.
It is no more than that.
The 'non out' does not over weight the 'What Could Have Been' to his owners.
Sabrmetricians have been under the assumption that the base on balls drove Joey Votto's game.
In part, they may be right.
For OUR game, however, it was never about the base on balls.
It was about the power.
Without that power, well, Votto is what he is today. A below average player for our game.
Votto has displayed power and average. Two of the three main ingredients for our recipe to success. Speed being the only slacker.
This year, Votto's power has been sapped.
He is now of little use to his owners.
Votto has scored 58 runs.
That ties him with teammate Billy Hamilton.
Sabrs and fans shit on Hamilton.
He is a one tool player. A judy.
Hamilton has 31 less hits and an incredible 54 less walks than Votto. Hamilton hits at the bottom of the order.
The difference being that it takes fewer hits to score Hamilton and his speed.
Without the home runs, Votto is essentially, a base clogger.
Even with Eugenio Suarez having a career RBI year, Votto is not scoring much.
Without the home runs, Votto becomes 'Less than Joey Votto.
A walker without the crutch of his home runs.
A sabr dream, an owner's nightmare.
By the way, Votto is third in baseball in OBP this year.
His owners just threw up in their mouth.
In 2010, Votto had his best year.
.324/106/37/113/16
Wow
He fell in love with the base on balls shortly after that year.
His walks went from 91 to at least 108 in each succeeding full year. 143 base on balls in 2015.
With those base on balls, his roto numbers went down.
He approached and even tied some of his roto categories from 2010, but only managed to exceed his batting average, no other categories.
I look at Votto and think what could have been.
I don't do that with any other player without a lot of injuries.
Votto made the conscious decision to change his approach.
Some champion the decision. Some don't.
I believe without that decision, he could have had an Albert Pujols type career.
His homers numbering in the 40's each year, not the 20's and 30's.
His RBI and Runs, easily at 100 and more.
I feel as if he cheated us from being better as a player.
And worse, he cheated himself.
Votto is an elegant hitter.
Truly, a real good hitter.
He'll probably get into the Hall of Fame, since sabrs are the rage in baseball.
He has less Runs, RBI, and only 10 more homers than Vada Pinson.
But, that won't matter.
He did what the sabrs cherish.
He walked. A lot.
This year though, even sabrs have to recognize that a walk is indeed, not as good as a hit.
Especially a home run.
Joey Votto has illustrated that, as well as one can, this year.